Pro-Abortion Republicans Running for Governor

GOP governor candidates in several states support abortion

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DETROIT (ChurchMilitant.com) - As the 2018 elections approach, pro-life voters in some states will be hard-pressed to find a worthy candidate.

In states like Oregon and New York, the Republican Party's gubernatorial candidate has little or no support for the pro-life movement.

The GOP candidate for governor in Oregon is Knute Buehler, who supports abortion as well as health care coverage for contraception. With a professional background as a surgeon, Buehler considers enshrining so-called reproductive rights a component of health care reform.

The Oregon race is considered a toss-up between Buehler and Democrat incumbent Gov. Kate Brown. But Brown has been leading in the polls.

Buehler grew up in a non-religious family and is not religious today, but used to attend Catholic Mass with friends when he was younger. He explained, "My parents were not very religious, but I attended church with friends. I most frequently went to Catholic church."

Buehler has said about abortion, "That's a decision between a woman and her physician and should not be political or government-influenced."

He has also opined, "Regardless of what happens at the federal level, Oregon will remain a pro-choice state and I'll continue to do the work that I have done in the past to expand access to contraception."

Though Buehler identifies as "pro-choice," Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon complains that he is nowhere near as pro-abortion as his Democratic opponent. They also claim that Buehler is saying one thing to pro-lifers, but another thing to the general public.

The Planned Parenthood lobbying group also criticized Buehler for not condemning new the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. The group said on Sept. 25, "Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh in July, fulfilling his pledge to appoint justices who would gut Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to access abortion in this country. Since then, two women have come forward with credible allegations of sexual assault. Buehler's response? He's still undecided."

Regardless of what happens at the federal level, Oregon will remain a pro-choice state.

Similarly, the GOP gubernatorial candidate for New York is also casting himself as "pro-choice."

Republican candidate for governor Marc Molinaro says late-term abortion is against his personal beliefs, but he promises that he will not work to oppose abortion if he becomes governor.

"I have a personal belief ... I do not support late-term abortion," Molinaro said in June.

He also commented, "I realize Roe v. Wade is settled law."

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Molinaro's opponent, the incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, calls himself a Catholic but is adamantly pro-abortion. Cuomo has a 100 percent approval rating from pro-abortion lobbying group NARAL.

If pro-lifers want the law in the United States to become more pro-life, then having pro-life governors is an important part of that. Regulation of abortion at the state level is already an important issue; if Roe v. Wade ever gets overturned, then states will be at liberty to pass even stronger laws against abortion.

Pro-abortion RINO governors have at times thwarted pro-life legislation. In Illinois, for instance, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner had the chance to veto a bill that expanded taxpayer funding for abortion, but he signed it into law in September 2017. When Rauner did this, he contradicted an earlier statement that he would oppose the bill.

Having pro-life majorities in state legislatures can also be important in the fight against abortion. If a state government passes pro-life legislation into law, pro-abortion activists could challenge the law and fight a lengthy legal battle until it gets to the U.S. Supreme Court. With President Donald Trump's appointee Brett Kavanaugh now sworn in as a Supreme Court justice, this could potentially lead to an overturning of Roe v. Wade, which enshrined abortion as a constitutional right.

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